Saturday, December 02, 2006

*This couldn't be simpler. Toss shrimp with garlic, scallions and mushrooms,
top with crumbs and bake. It's a perfect party dish: You can do the advance
preparation hours ahead, and the individual gratins mean no serving up at
the last minute. (Of course, you can make this in one large dish.)

I use large shrimp here, but smaller shrimp can be substituted and the
cooking time reduced by a few minutes. *

[image: DIRECTIONS:]
Mix the butter in a large bowl with the garlic, scallions, mushrooms, salt,
pepper and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the shrimp and toss to mix well.
Divide the mixture among four individual gratin dishes with about a 1-cup
capacity, or spoon into one large gratin dish or shallow baking dish.

In another bowl, toss the bread crumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil,
so that they are lightly coated but still fluffy. Sprinkle the crumbs over
the shrimp mixture and pour the wine on top.

About 30 minutes before serving time, heat the oven to 425 degrees F. When
the oven is ready, place the gratin dishes or dish on a cookie sheet and
bake for 10 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned and the shrimp
are just cooked through. Serve immediately.

*Make Ahead*
The shrimp can be tossed with a mixture of the garlic, scallions, mushrooms,
salt, pepper and oil a few hours ahead, and the gratins cooked at the last
moment in a hot oven.